The World in Turmoil: Advent
by ANarrativeCloud
Summary: Edward could not believe his eyes. His limbs were back... and? He's back to being a five year old... Damn you, Truth.
1. Chapter One

**Chapter 1**

White. It was all he saw. Vast fields of only white. Which was up? Down? There were no floors, no ceilings… just _white. _He turned around, facing an all too familiar object. _The gate. _How many times has he been here? Two? No, three times. He chuckled bitterly. Why Beside it was an ethereal body with a foreboding aura. _Truth._ It took his brother's body, his teacher's organs, Colonel Bastard's eyesight.. and two of his limbs… He was prepared to give up the thing that gave him grief made him grow up before the right time came… his alchemy.

"I want my brother back." He demanded.

"Oh, what do you have in return then?"

"This big thing right here." Edward pointed to the gate behind him.

"Are you sure? If you lose this then you would lose your ability to do alchemy."

"I'm sure." Truth grinned.

"I'm sorry Mis-ter Al-che-mist, but that isn't enough for our deal."

"What!?_"_

"Why? Well, if you lose it then it's like… running away. It's more of your gain than mine." Truth smirked.

"Well, what do you want from me then?"

"Your world. Your existence."

"I accept. Anything to help Al." Truth grinned widely.

"Oh and a bonus Mister Alchemist, I'll return your teacher's organs and your superior's sight. But remember, everything has a price."

"Now what?"

"I'm going to send you to another world. Somewhere where magic exists."

"What is this 'magic' you talk about?"

"You'll know."

The last thing he saw was the gate opening, the little black hands pulling him in.

==0==0==0==

Sacha was having the best day of her life. The kids in the orphanage had been very nice to her. They cleaned the orphanage when she was still just asleep, and when she woke up, the kids were bringing her breakfast! And when she was bargaining for a good price in the market, she was treated by some stranger! And lastly, she got the last piece of Humbleberry Pie from the bakery, which was the best and they made only fifteen pieces per day! _It's a good thing I left the Wizarding world before I couldn't leave anymore, especially with You-know-who on the loose._

The woman was walking towards the orphanage when she saw a boy fall in the corner of her eye. _It's just a boy._ She sighed in relief_But where did he come from..? I'd better treat him, he looks tired._

==0==0==0==

Everything was spinning. What had happened? Oh, he was _transported _into a new _world._ He tried standing up.

_Wait. _He _felt _his_right arm _and his _left leg_, what had happened? He looked for something that resembled a mirror. He saw a glass window. He could see himself. His automail wasn't there. There was his arm. _Real flesh _arm. What had happened? Why were his limbs back? Why was it there? And he looked like he was younger than he really was. The scars weren't there. _I went back in time? Hmmm… Probable, not impossible… Where am I? Certainly not Drachma, not Risembool, not Central either… Where is this place?_ He then remembered his conversation with truth. _Well then. That means I… can't go back anymore. But, at least… Al…_

He tried standing up, but failed miserably. He wobbled toward a wall to support himself. _Why was it harder to walk on two flesh legs? It was supposed to be easier!_ After a few moments, he regained his balance. Having an automail for four years had its irks. And sometimes he was content to have automail instead of his flesh arm. Like the time when Ling poured a kettle of boiling water to his right arm.("Stupid Ling." Ed muttered) That would've burned!

He was hungry. Not just hungry, he was starving. He walked for a few hours,trying to find a place to rest. Maybe after he slept, he'd regain some of his energy. He went near the grass, contemplating on whether he would transmute it to bread or not. It might've been tasteless, but he'd have to stick with it. He clapped his hands and promptly blacked out.

==0==0==0==

He opened his eyes. It took him a while to regain his vision, and when he opened them, he saw a Light-brown colored ceiling. What happened? He was in a bed of some sort. There were old and rickety chairs, he was on a bed. He had bandages on his arm and on his cheek. _A hospital? No... This place doesn't smell like anesthetic. It isn't Where…? _There were some children around him. Children? Oh, he was just a child here too.

"Look! He's awake!" A little black haired girl shouted. It ringed in his ears. It reminded him of Winry. _Winry._ He saddened at the thought. _This is for Al!_ He reminded himself. _Don't think about things like these!_

A little brunette boy ran to the door and shouted. "Mish Sacha! Mish Sacha! He'sh awake!" _Sacha? Who…?_

==0==0==0==

Sacha was preparing the kid's dinner. There were just a total of fifteen kids in the orphanage; 6 pre-teens, 4 1-2 year olds and five troublemaking five year olds. It was just so much work! she had started cooking early, for if she started later then the cooking would be rushed, (which she wanted to avoid as much as possible). Her thoughts kept heading to the kid who just collapsed. His hair was golden. One which she hasn't seen before. Yes, she's seen blondes before, but that was an exception. Blondes were quite usual in the neighborhood, but golden hair was not. It existed in the fairy tales about nobles and fake 'magic' worlds. Gold strewn hair? Impossible.

A shout from upstairs informed her that the boy was already awake. She turned the stove off and removed her mittens. The she hurried upstairs.

"Oh, so you're awake already." She said with a smile. The boy was facing the window so there was no telling what the expression of the boy was.

"Um, where am I miss? I mean, country and all." He gazed outside the window, his hair rustled by the soft morning breeze. His voice was soft, like what Sacha used to comfort crying children… How did he learn to use that voice? Or maybe it was just how he really spoke…

"Country? You don't know where you are?" That was weird, how can the kid not know he was in London?

"We're in London right now. The Flower Top Orphanage." She smiled at the name. The orphanage didn't really have a name. The neighborhood kid's called it flower- top because the orphanage had a big sunflower on its roof. And the name kind of stuck. No one had any objections though, so it was put in as 'The Flower-Top Orphanage '

"Um… Thanks. And another question please? Then you can start asking your own."

"Sure!" She said brightly, but how did the kid know how she had questions? Okay, the kid is freaking her out now.

"Do you know what Amestris is?" The kid looked at her. Her breath hitched. His eyes were the color of _molten gold_. She know that only werewolves had gold eyes, but not that kind. Werewolves had grayish-yellow eyes. His eyes were striking… and it held knowledge far beyond a child's… There was also sadness and pain… Only has she seen these eyes in Aurors that went through countless deaths… She gave herself a mental shake. _This kid must have trauma or something…_

"Amestris? I've never heard of it. I'm sorry."

"Thanks…" the kid looked down once more. _That means I'm not in my world anymore, huh?_

"Okay then! Now for mine!" She smiled. "Do you know how old you are?"

"No." Came the quick response. He couldn't exactly say he was sixteen. He wasn't even sure how old his body was.

"How can you not know your age?" She looked at him incredulously.

"I've never really paid any attention to it. Anyway miss, what year is it now?" It was true though. Even back in Amestris, he never celebrated his birthday. He'd only remember his birthday because Gracia would invite him to Elysia's birthday.(They'd 'celebrate' it on the same day.) It was saddening that Hughes… left. Gracia looked a lot more like his mother when Hohenheim left. And it was frustrating. But he couldn't do anything about it. He just made himself to look like he was having fun. He looked at himself in the mirror. Judging from his hair length and his _height_. He still refuses to call himself short… He looked exactly the same on

"Um… 1995."

"1995 huh?" He made a quick mental calculation and found out that he was 80 years old. Then he just based it on his appearance. Nobody would believe him if he told otherwise. Amestris had a different time than here then? Or he was transported in time and dimension.

"Well, based on my _birthday_, I'm still 5 years old." He mused.

He became a very good liar and debater because of the meetings in the military. He also had full control over his emotions already, it was a must to keep a stony face while facing military ranks. But he prefers not to and still kind of shouts whenever he was called small. He reached the rank Colonel and was bombarded with paperwork. Then he knew the reason Mustang hated it so much. Mustang also proceeded in his rising. _Too bad for him, the higher the rank the more paperwork_. He smirked at the thought. At least, _now_ he didn't have mountain loads of paperwork to deal with. He always divided his work with Al. Though at first he didn't want Al to do anything for him, but Al insisted and he could never say no to his little brother.

"5 years?"

"Yup. That seems right."

"Well then, you have a family right?" she sounded hopeful. He nearly snorted.

"No." _But I have a little brother in another dimension._ He added word parents brought a weird taste to his mouth, Yes he had forgiven Hohenheim for leaving them. Yes, for his mother he had also moved on. But something still sends a pang in his heart to think about them.

"I'm… sorry." He just smiled at the apology.

"It's fine, Miss. You didn't know. You don't have to worry about me, I've already forgotten about them anyway." She looked forlornly at Edward. Oh how he hated being pitied.

"If you say so… Hey! How about you stay here? This is an orphanage after all. We're running low on cash right now, but we can make space for another friend!" He smirked at the mention of cash. He would do something about it.

"Thank you." He smiled once more. His stomach growled. He hadn't realized he was _that_ humgry! He flushed.

"It seems your stomach wants food."

"Hehe… Sorry for the trouble." He rubbed the back of his had sheepishly.

"It's fine." She smiled as she led Edward downstairs.

The rest of the day was uneventful, save for the eventual questions what was his name, how old was he and the like. He didn't quite like the attention, but it wasn't very annoying.

He went to his room. It was small, but it was enough space for his… _smaller_ body. He put a rug in the bottom of the door and closed the curtains, just to make sure no light would escape the room. He put the rusty spoon on the floor. Running a quick circle in mind, he placed his hand near the spoon. A bright light flashed and a completely silver spoon replaced it. _That's good. At least Alchemy works here._

**Two weeks later…**

"Edward! You sure you're not coming?" Sacha bellowed.

"Yes, Sacha. I'm sure." The other kids were going to the zoo. Because for some reason, Sacha was given two dozens of free passes for said trip. He had seen animals before and he wasn't excited to do so. And for same said reason, he had the whole house to himself. _I'd better start fixing stuff!_

After that, he surveyed the whole orphanage and saw that there were chairs with broken legs, leaking sinks, flickering bulbs, rusty silverware, and very old walls and ceilings. He had to do something about it.

First, he went to the kitchen. Almost everything was rusted. It was a miracle that the kids weren't having symptoms of sickness. Oxidation wasn't very friendly to children's stomachs. He then gathered every single silverware and utensils. Placed them on the floor. He thought for a while. What was the best material for such things? He never really paid any attention to those things, so he decided to use the alloy that Winry was fond of using. She said that it last longer than most alloys. And Edward didn't doubt that. His Automail after all had never once rusted. Destroyed _completely, _yes, but not rusted. A flash of light conquered the room. Afterwards, every single utensil was as good as new. He smiled at himself.

He then proceeded to fix every single thing he could while the others were gone. The chairs were broken. He could vouch for that. He once tried to sit on said chair and it collapsed on his weight. His downside hurt. He went to the benches. He tried to find out the best proportion for the bench, and he found that he was lacking materials. It was quite a good thing that they lived just on the edge of a seemingly 'haunted' forest as the other kids called it. The only problem was, how he could bring it without anyone noticing?

He ran to the forest completely irritated with himself. His endurance wasn't even enough for a short sprint! He'd have to start doing workouts. His muscles weren't toned, and he didn't have the muscle memory for fighting. Who knows what might happen with Truth governing the world?

He found a Mahogany Tree. _Hmm, this thing shouldn't be able to grow here._ But he didn't question it. He used alchemy to transmute it to a box with wheels the leaves and little branches weren't given a second look. He then dragged it all the way to the orphanage. Nobody gave him a 'suspicious' stare. After all he was just a no name kid dragging an empty box. When he reached the orphanage, he was breathing quite hard. He then continued to make the benches sturdier. It didn't need paint. He made sure of that. After the benches, he also fixed the tables.

He touched the wall and it was brittle. He then completed a circle in his mind. He reinforced it with steel and more cement. Then he smoothened it.

He then went to the backyard. He sat on the edge of the backyard with a piece of the road in front of him. This was the last thing he was to do. He then placed his hands beside the piece of cement and after a blinding flash of light, the cement turned into a few bars of gold. _The economy wouldn't be unstabilized if I do just a little right?_ He made sure to make the gold impure, not _pure _gold. That was the biggest mistake alchemists did when transmuting gold. It was also obvious (to specialists- which Edward was) that it was made Alchemically.Carrying the gold, he hurried to the kitchen table and placed said gold in a piece of cloth. He hurried to the study. It was nearly time they would come back from the trip. He didn't need any evidence pointing out that he fixed the orphanage. He opened the drawers and got a pen and paper.

Satisfied with his work, he stayed in the study and pulled out several maps. It would be nice if he could acquaint himself with this new world. He also saw a semi-interesting thick book. He opened it midway and found that that book wasn't for little kids. He dragged it to the center of the study.

The Book's title was… _Hogwarts: A History._

==0==0==0==

Sacha was exhausted. The zoo was fun with the kids but they were so energetic and it was hard to keep an eye out for all of them. Edward could help in restraining the kids, she didn't know how he did it, but she sometimes relied on Edward to take care of the kids his age. It was a good thing they were about to go home. She was worried for Edward. The kid was peculiar sometimes… okay maybe a lot of times. The boy had read through the entire study within two weeks and he acted like it was just what he usually does. Such a very diligent kid! He was also talented.

They went down from the bus and went inside the house. The lights were already turned off and it was already dark. She ushered everyone to their rooms for them to get some rest. They hadn't eaten dinner yet so she would have to wake them up later. She went to the kitchen to prepare the food. But she was surprised to see that there was already food and an Edward still stirring the soup in a big pot.

"Edward!"

"Sacha. You're back already?" He grinned. He pulled out the big ladle and took a sip.

"Perfect." He murmured.

"You know how to cook?" She stared at him. This kid was talented! He read books at a pace even adults would be envious of. He could cook as well!

"Hehe… What do you think?"

Sacha grabbed a spoon and tasted the soup. She froze. It was wonderful. Perfect to say the least!

"I just grabbed the cookbook there, so I think it's a bit awful."

"Awful? This is delicious, Edward!" She almost jumped in excitement. "What else did you cook?"

As everyone was eating, Sacha could help but notice the changes in the kitchen and dining area. The pots and pans were as good as new and the tables and chairs looked like they were newly bought. Why, she even found a bag of gold in the kitchen table! The person who had given it to them had left a note. _Thank you for taking care of the children. Take this as a donation for the orphanage. PS: Did you like your new Utensils and furniture?_ She was extremely thankful to the stranger who helped the orphanage. But the identity of the man was still unknown. But why had the man waited for them to be out of the house to act? Maybe Ed saw someone…

"Ed!" She called. Edward was eating his food and there was a little notebook and pen

"Huh?" His head moved toward the voice.

"Come here." He jumped off the bench and walked towards the caretaker.

"Did you see someone… that did some things to the orphanage?"

He shook his head as childishly as he could. "No one. But maybe I didn't see him because I was hunting rabbits in the forest…" he mumbled, perfecting his alibi of: 'maybe someone else was here'. This was nice.

"Oh…" She paused. "Wait. You went _hunting_ for _rabbits_?"

"Of course. Where did you think I got the meat? There wasn't any in the refrigerator." He said casually, running a hand through his hair.

"B-but! You're still just five!" She almost shouted. What was wrong with hunting?

"_Already _five. I'm safe, and that's all there is to it. Besides, the rabbit hole was just near the orphanage. Nothing harmful there." He said trying to reign in his annoyance.

"Anyway, I'm still hungry so I'll fill my stomach till it bursts!" He grinned and scampered to his seat.

Edward smiled. The look on Sacha's face when she saw the gold… Hah! Priceless! But he didn't expect Sacha to nearly cry. He sighed… He missed Al…

==0==0==0==

He was about to sleep when a glimmer of something caught his eye. He stood up, went to the little table and his room. There it was.

His State Alchemist Watch.

**This is already edited. There was a deleted line somewhere and I have no idea where it went. And most of my other chapters have those stuff too. Missing line breaks are such a bother! **

**A/N: I'm going to let Edward be used to the world first before making him a student and well, we can't exactly avoid meetings with certain characters, oh and I won't do short jokes. It just wastes time and, well, for me it's not very funny, if I'm the one writing it. In the manga/anime it is, yes… but when you're just narrating it… well… But! No worries! He still gets angry at it, he doesn't just shout. It _is _after all _ingrained._**

**A/N(2): All of the line breaks I installed were deleted, but good readers _would _know where they break, right? Well, when I read my own work, It seemed chaotic with the missing Line breaks… And I didn't even use transitional words! How silly of me. Line breaks remove the hassle don't you think? And from here on out, I'm just gonna use other types of linebreaks. _Hopefully_ they won't get deleted anymore.**

**I like the new FFnet. no need to open another window for a review... Hehe**

==0==0==0==

_Reviews are appreciated!_**  
**


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter 2**

How did it get there? Something to remind me… about what I lost? Damn you Truth. But… I'm thankful… For giving me something to remind me… that I'm not from this world…

He opened the watch. The reminder of that day. He looked at the watch itself. And he saw Al… in a hospital room. He seemed… poignant… not the usual cheery Alphonse. _Of course. To them, he died._ The 'General' entered the room. _Heh, Mustang. _The pictures were heartbreaking… knowing that he left them. But it was reassuring that the deal with Truth worked. Izumi was there too. He couldn't hear what they were talking about. But…judging by the look on their faces… It was soemthing… sad... He wanted to cry out that he was alive… but at least… He would be able to see Al…

He gazed at the watch, watching his little brother…

But wait… _Why?_ Why did… he give this to me? This is priceless… A mirror between the dimensions? He'd have to search this up tomorrow. He slid it into his pocket and stayed up all night wondering about the possibilities of the pocketwatch.

And he had a new objective: learning to lipread.

==0==0==0==

Edward wasn't one for school. His intellect was well beyond what people would call normal. Yes he had gone to school. When he was _five._ Yes. He was five right _now_. But he didn't give a damn. He knew more than his teachers, they were extremely slow paced and Edward hated it. He often skipped classes to go to the village library and stay there until he knew classes were over. (Sacha scolded him for skipping, but he just tuned it out, completing several circles in his mind balancing them, adding complexities until Sacha noticed he wasn't listening.) The library had helped him a lot in coping with the advanced technology. Weird thing was, they were treating _plastic _prosthetic like they were extremely wonderful _a gift for mankind_ they say. _Psht, if Winry was here, she'd be happy to ramble on and on and on about how the automail works. These guys are idiots._ (If only he studied into it… He'd be filthy rich.) The motions were very limited unlike the automail Winry makes for him. He was both frustrated and amused that the people around him were complete idiots. They knew next to nothing about Chemistry. (This he found out was the closest to Alchemy in this world.) The molecular structure of everything came to him easily while even _experts_ couldn't identify the material without touching the object! He could perform alchemy _while_ dodging _projectiles_ and they couldn't even properly _add_. When he was their age he already knew the periodic table _by heart_! It was frustrating!

Sacha had talked him into going to school, 'make friends' she says. Friends? Hell, he couldn't even _find_ someone who could talk to him without spacing out or carrying the conversation to something very annoying. Like candies. Sodas. _Cartoons. _No, seriously. He was the _only_ kid in his class not interested in cartoons… So why the hell would a sixteen year old boy be interested in cartoons? Just imagining it made him shudder.

He avoided people, created circles in class (to look like he was taking down notes), practiced Xingese writings (people here called it Chinese) and tried using Alkahestry that Mei taught them (him and Al) before the battle with The Father, just in case their alchemy didn't work. He didn't exactly excel in it, they were after all only taught for 6 weeks. Said branch was very different from what he's used to. Everytime he was bored, he threw sharp objects to create the pentagram, then find the 'Vein of The Dragon' and run the equations in his mind. Alkahestry wasn't that different from Alchemy. It just required more guidance from the alchemist. People's reactions to it still made him laugh. (One was when he created a hole in the ground the size of an unnaturally large shoe, a lot of people trip at it. It was surprising, and he found it extremely amusing.)

His pocket watch was always with him and it wasn't working as a clock. He had convinced Sacha that he would go to the Clock shop to get it repaired. It was the only memento that was from Amestris. It also amplified the alchemical energy that he could use. Meaning, without the pocketwatch, Ed would tire more easily.

He glanced at the clock. From what he had observed, the clock only showed Al and the others if he thinks about that person when he opened the watch. The last time, he willed himself to look at Winry and snapped the pocketwatch then came blushing furiously afterwards… She was in the _shower. _He'd have to have better timing… If Winry knew… The _wrench_ would take revenge. Ha shuddered at the thought.

He took it to a clockwork shop and they were completely baffled by the technology. They had asked him whether or not it was his and he just glared at them. The glare was very intimidating for someone his apparent age. They had explained that it was very valuable and the clockwork was very antique. The shopkeeper tried to ask him where he bought it and then he snickered.

"Hm? This _pure silver _watch you ask? Maybe I passed a state" -_Alchemist Military-_ "exam and was given this as proof I did?" He said, knowing that they wouldn't take a kid seriously. The man laughed…

"Sure, kid. And you're the youngest?" The man said mockingly Edward smiled at the man. _He had no idea. _

The shop had changed the clockwork but Edward glared at them when they charged him 4 pounds for the pocket watch.

"Seriously, sir? The metal's all brittle and the hinges are loose. Even the battery's nearly dead. This won't even last a few weeks in my care!What a_ swindler_." He shouted at the keeper.

"Haha, You have a good eye kid." The shop keeper was perplexed, How had the kid known he did a sloppy job? He was never caught! Okay so there was this one time… And this… And there was this time when… _so what it happens a lot!?_ It was supposed to go: 'Mister! This is faulty! You can have it!'

Edward jumped to sit at the counter table then leveled a stare at the man. "Hn… Bet you would tell me it's no good then you'll end up buying it from me. 2 pounds. _Fix it._" He said with his 'Colonel' tone. He inwardly snickered at how the man visibly paled in front of a little kid. He would enjoy using this glare very much. Now he knew why Mustang loved manipulating people.

The man fixed his watch. When he returned it, it was as good as new.

"Thanks, old man!" he said as he walked away. The man sighed in relief. _Can't believe I was outsmarted by a kid…_

==0==0==0==

On Edward's way back to the orphanage, he saw some weird looking people wearing weird clothes. Coats? No. _Curtains? Probably._ What else could they be? Speaking of _clothes_…

Sacha gave Edward 10 pounds for his trip. Which he admitted was more than he needed, but he _had_ been helping around, so Sacha probably gave him the money to thank him. He went to the fabric store and found some red cloth. He wouldn't wear it, of course, It was just something… in case… he got bloodied or something… Okay! He missed his coat. But he'd look silly wearing it with his body right now, so he decided to postpone it for later. He could always wear it anytime.

Edward wasn't sure on where to spend his money on. And he still wasn't used to the currency. He usually just based it on how much candies cost. But this country's economy was high so the little coins and the bigger coins were confusing. He didn't want to exactly research it; he figured it would come with time. (In the end, it took him a few weeks.)

He also knew he shouldn't purchase books available in large quantities; they would just be a burden to him and he could stack the knowledge in his brain. He wasn't a researcher at twelve for nothing. He had already caught up with the latest technology. Cell-phones, which were more convenient than walkie talkies the military sent out. And cars that were… very advanced compared to what they had back in Amestris. He scavenged the community library for books on Alchemy. And was disgusted that there wasn't a single proper book on alchemy. _How could they have advanced technology but no alchemy? This is bordering ridiculous. _He thought with a long suffering sigh.

He looked rather intimidating. He was reading up on 'World History'(he wasn't very interested, but knowing what happened to this world would help him have topics of conversation) and had 'Advanced Chemistry', 'Robotics', 'Software Programming' on the pile on his right and piles of other books on his left. He had almost finished his last shelf in the library and the boredom was to come. He should ask Sacha where the next library was. He closed the last book in the library that was worth reading.

==0==0==0==

He was so bored that he even _considered _reading the children's books. He was frustrated and annoyed, so he started walking back home. He considered writing his supposed research but pushed away that thought. _No. This place doesn't need alchemy._ He resigned himself to finding a worthy _university…_ maybe start building rockets? That would be nice, except, no one would take him seriously with his apparent age. So, he was stuck doing nothing for several months. That bored him to the extremes.

Then an idea hit him. Maybe he could attend formal training in martial arts! He was still skinny, but due to his daily morning exercises and stretches, he seemed more toned. That would be a wonderful idea! I just have to do this! He grinned triumphantly. He went to the orphanage kitchen to ask Sacha about the classes.

"Sacha! Can I attend Martial arts classes?" Edward intoned.

"Martial arts, kid? You little runt?" Edward nearly burst into his usual tantrum. He breathed. _ I'm tall for my age! Well… apparent age._

"Yeah!" he said brightly. Truly excited to get training.

"Oh? Well, we don't have the funds, so you'll have to find a decent instructor that would charge for free." She said ruefully.

"So can I? I'm going to look for an instructor myself!" He asked once more.

"Just don't get yourself in trouble, you hear?" Sacha commanded with a chuckle..

"Yes, sir!" He offered a protocol salute.

==0==0==0==

His trainings daily were rigorous, but no one in the house knew he was even exercising. He would do a proper cool down and let his breathing slow before he left his room. He would wake up at 3am and start his workout routine. At 5, he ran around the orphanage, one additional lap weekly to build up his endurance. And he switched his routine of running around the orphanage to running around the neighborhood, memorizing streets, turns, junctions, so he wouldn't get lost. One said occasion, he wandered farther than he was supposed to. A street called… _Little Whinging_. He still couldn't believe that he was in a different world. Yes he had accepted so, but he was still uneasy. Did Truth do as he said? But why just send me here? Magic? He scowled.

Then he noticed something. A big.. _walrus?_ Was beating up a kid way smaller than _him_. He had to do something about that. He walked toward the bullies while the walrus picked the smaller one off the ground.

"Hey, big guy. You have fun bullying the poor kid?" He taunted. The bullied kid was relatively short. _Smaller than him ._ The thought made his mood become lighter. The kid had glasses -ones that were nearly _falling apart- _covering his green eyes. Black hair was mushed, courtesy of the walrus.

"Heh. Little kid, you shoodent pick on meh. Yah might get hurt." Big walrus said as he dropped the kid. "Whatcha gunna do? Cry to yar mama?" Edward was trying not to send his fist flying. The walrus had guts.

"I'm sorry, but going to the _police_ would be more appropriate." He said coolly. "And you fat ass will be sent flying if you don't." The walrus cracked his knuckles. _Two could play that game. _ He did as well, waay louder that the walrus'.

He placed himself in a stance his teacher drilled into him. Glaring daggers at the walrus.

"Bring it!" He declared.

"Heh, Dun come cryin to yah mama when you end up losing, punk!" Walrus said grinning widely _Oh? You're the one who's gonna 'come cryin to yah mama' Idiot._

He knew he needed to hold back. The kid obviously doesn't have any training. He advanced, jumped and sent a punch to the big kid's face intentionally breaking the kid's nose.

"Why you!" The kid was obviously pissed off. He was holding his now bleeding nose. He launched at Edward with his full body, expecting to hit. Ed side stepped the attack and the fatso ended up crashing to the floor _headfirst._ Edward was chuckling by now. The kid absolutely looked ridiculous!

The kid stood up. "You're gunna pay for this, punk!" _Oh please, even Al could make a better taunt than that!_Okay maybe he was knew Al wasn't like that… _ Al…_ He made a little dismissing glance and scurried away from Ed. Running with his tail between his legs.

"Umm… Thank you…" A little uncertain voice called. He turned. _Oh. I forgot about the kid…I should really pay more attention._

"No problem." Edward brushed him off.

"Umm…" The boy was certainly very shy. If Ed was going to spend time with him, he'd have to make this kid more confident.

"Oh, my name's Edward. Call me Ed."

"H-Harry." He said quietly. What was wrong with this kid? He sighed.

"Anyway, those cuts and bruises must sting. Come with me! I'll help you get cleaned up!" He offered the ki… Harry.

"But… I need to hurry back. My Aunt would punish me if they know I haven't cooked their lunch yet." He said sheepishly, adjusting his broken glasses.

"Heh, making children do the work for them, psh. You should treat those first. Who cares about that, if they're angry at you for not doing slave work, then let them. But how about you come with me to the orphanage first?"

"O-orphanage?" He asked owlishly.

"You're not going to stay there for good, you know. Besides, they have medical kits there." Ed said as he assisted Harry from his position on the floor.

"Uhm… Thanks…" _This guy's not used to kindness eh? _Edward scowled. _What kind of human would make their nephew a live slave-like life? His Aunt, duh._

==0==0==0==

Edward guided Harry to the orphanage. Giving him support. He had taken a quick look over and found that the bullied had a dislocated ankle and several cuts and bruises all over his body.

"Sacha!" He called as he always did. No answer. _Guess they're out._

"I'll bring you to the kitchen. The medical kit's there." He said reassuringly. Harry nodded quietly.

When they reached the kitchen, he let harry sir on a chair. He took out the medical kit and a piece of paper and a Sharpie marker. The cuts and bruises would stay for a while. He would use Alkahestry to close the cuts and makes the bruises less painful and colorful. He opened the kit with practiced ease and took out cottons and alcohol.

"Cover your eyes. This would _look_ painful." He can't just let the kid know he had some strange power. The kid obeyed willingly and put his hand on his eyes. _Good. That would shield the light enough,_

He quickly drew a pentagram on the paper and placed it underneath the low chair harry was sitting on, and activated it. Harry's cuts disappeared, and the bruises turned back to the skin's normal pallor.

"Feel better?" He asked.

"Uh… Yeah.. How did you…?" He asked. _I adjusted your immune levels, made it react immediately to your injuries, then put it back to regain homeostasis. _Ed snickered. It would be fun to see how he would react but it would be bad in the long run.

"S'a secret." He smirked. "Would you want me to escort you home? You might be a little dazed."

"I'm fine." He adjusted his broken glasses once more. Edward frowned thoughtfully. A few seconds of silence passed. No one was talking nor moving

"Give me your glasses." He finally said.

"Umm… why?" Harry said a little startled.

"Hehe… You'll know. Just give it!" He said handing out his palm. Harry reluctantly gave his glasses to Edward. Edward went to the dining area, leaving Harry in the Kitchen.

"Eye-grade?" He shouted. Forgetting that he would change the glasses if it would be useable.

"Umm… It's.." Harry told Edward his Eye-grade.(A/n I have no idea what harry's eye-grade is .)

Edward ran to the study placed the glasses on the table. A flash of light, then it was repaired.

==0==0==0==

Edward escorted Harry to his house. When the door opened, he saw another walrus. _Good grief! How many Walruses are in this town?_ He shook his head… He'd have to research a _cure_ for this…

Edward gave them a very bright smile and told them that he'd like to be friends with Harry. They seemed incredulous at first, but when Edward told them he was the son of a very respected Chemist, they backed off, smiling . ("Social Climbers…" Ed grumbled. Harry looked at him confused.) Inviting him to dinner. Ed declined. Sacha would have his head if he just left without a note.

"Bye Harry! See you later!" Ed hollered, while jogging away. He grinned._ Being a pretend five year old is fun!_

==0==0==0==

_Reviews? Questions? Disclaimer etc are supposed to be…here? Okay then, I don't own FMA or HP ok? Good. People should know we writers don't own these said stories._

_Criticisms are appreciated. Be as blunt as you like. I won't take it negatively._

_I've edited some of the other parts, but it's going to be easier to read, now that I reattached the linebreaks._


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter 3**

Edward was annoyed. The colleges were kind of low to not let him in. It was kind of annoying for them to laugh at him. Saying he was nothing but an _airheaded_ brat. He's smarter than most of those idiots!

"You got some business here? Well, screw you. Anyone here might've let you in, but not on my watch brat."

They weren't friendly to him, well, he could accept that, because who would want to be outsmarted by a kid who is more than three times younger? Even Mustang had - albeit grudgingly - accepted the fact that Edward surpassed a lot of his fellow officers in terms of military capabilities. He was never really one to make his own image anyway. He went to the next known College in the neighborhood. Silently hoping that they wouldn't throw him out this time. He wanted to learn new things. The anatomy of the human body was something he knew a lot about. But it was only partial. He wanted to know more about the healing techniques to able to apply it in Alkahestry. Who knows? No one said this neighborhood was completely safe. He wanted to save lives. And the town library didn't have the right type of information for it. He needed to go somewhere with enough books. Like Central's library. Which, to his disdain, was only accessible to those who had a State Alchemist watch. It was one of the reasons he chose to join the military. Funding and Intel being two he mostly needed.

He shuttled to the building. Amused by the surprised looks everyone was giving him. "Kid! No running in the hallways!" one shouted. Some didn't even pay any heed to him like it happened every day. _Maybe some of the teachers bring their children to school._ He went to the lobby, taking quick directions from the floor plans. _Right there, left… left once more then second on the left corridor._ Then took off once more.

He stopped on the place where the library was. He stopped for a while. Then slowed his breathing. _I shouldn't have ran…_ The he entered. He froze. The library was monstrous! Not as big as Central's… but still! He was so excited. He would read every single book in here. He walked slowly inhaling the scent of olden books, _the scent of knowledge_.

"Hey, kid." A raspy voice sounded from his right.

"Huh?" he said intelligently, looking at the source of the voice. It was from an old woman, late fifties. Graying hair and thin rimmed glasses. _Probably the librarian._

"You do know you aren't allowed in here right?" she said. He was disappointed.

"Why the hell am I not allowed? Libraries are supposed to be open to the public." He grumbled. Low enough that was for the library.

"Heh, if you aren't from here, kid, you need a letter from either a teacher or the supervisor to let you use this place. They would be kind enough to do that and the letter would last till the paper disintegrates." The librarian said humorously. "Though I have no idea what reading material you might want to read here since all of these books tackle subjects even the _seniors_ can't understand."

"Thank you miss." He bowed respectfully. _It would__n't be a good idea to get on the bad side of someone who I might see everyday…_ He then ran to the lobby once more. Memorizing the map. _Teacher's lounge… lounge… There it is! Room 112._ He decided not to rush. It was still early. He walked casually, his sense of direction was something he took pride in. He seldom got lost, but it was more of luck – so to say the _lack_ of it – that he did. After a few minutes, he spotted the teacher's lounge. He knocked once. No answer. He knocked again. Still none. So he decided to see if it was unlocked or not. To his surprise it _wasn't. _He entered and saw no one. _Huh… Now how am I supposed to get that f***ing slip?_ He looked around, looking for something that would resemble a human being.

No such luck. He sighed. What was he to do when everything he planned lacked resources or people to contact? It annoyed him to no end. He turned to leave when something caught his eye. It was a chalkboard with several problems and their corresponding answers. But something felt wrong. He read through the problems and their supposed answers, nothing was right! It was maddening how the people in this world couldn't solve such simple problems. _Who the hell answered this? _He took the eraser and started erasing the 'answers'. Then he started solving them just for the heck of it. He knew he didn't have any benefits in doing so, but figured it was enough to ease his boredom. He liked thinking critically. _Borrow 1… sigma…psi7 multiplied by… all over…_

He wrote the answers on the board with frightening speed, erasing and rewriting things here and there, double checking everything if they were right or wrong. After several long minutes, he wiped his brow and admired his work. _That's better. Though,my mind finished it earlier..._ He left the room, his boredom sated, and fished out his pocketwatch.

He didn't notice the teacher who had seen everything he did.

==0==0==0==


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter 4**

Ed shuffled in his seat. He took one of the isolated tables to eat in peace. He got hungry and went to the cafeteria to buy something without milk in it. He ordered two cups of rice, three steak strips, a corn salad, several lettuce leafs, Caesar dressing, and orange juice. The cafeteria lady looked at him fondly. Most of the kids never ordered vegetables, but Ed wanted to have a balanced diet. He burns more calories than the average five-year old so he needed to eat more. Exercising needed a lot of proteins and vitamins. He finished his rice as he ravenously divided the food into mouthfuls. He was about to gobble a lettuce leaf when a voice called out to him.

"Hello little kid."A man no older than…wait…

"H-Havoc?" He gaped. _Why was he here? Oh… okay… double. Relax Ed. He isn't Lt. Havoc._

"Oh? You know my name? I must be famous!" Edward choked on air. Trying to suppress his laughter. He really acted like the Havoc he knew.

"But at least, call me Professor Havoc. I worked hard for it!" He smiled brightly.

Edward chuckled. But sadly, he wasn't the same Havoc he knew. He had long since figured out that most of the People from Amestris had their doubles here. And while having familiar face around was comforting, they didn't hold the same sadness and knowledge as the ones from Amestris.

"Okay then, _Professor _Havoc. What can my humble self do to be of service?" Edward said, smiling politely. Using the tone Col-_General_ used when talking to people who piss him off.

"Man! You sound like Roy!" He chuckled, Patting Edward a little too hard for his comfort. "I already like you, kid." _Mustang has a double?_ He sighed. It would be hard to call him 'Roy' instead of 'Bastard' or 'Colonel'.

"I am not a kid!" Oh How he sounded like one.

"Sure you aren't. Anyway, I saw what you did in the lounge." He said, his eyes trailing dangerously, dropping his bright and carefree demeanor. Now this seemed more like Havoc when he was assigned to interrogate someone. It was a good thing that Edward was already immune to it. He'd been interrogated by Havoc one too many times already.

_Lounge?_ Hmmm… "That problem?" He asked, to make sure. It was a simple problem most alchemist could solve easily. It had a painstakingly long procedure, but other than that, it was really simple. You just need to learn the fundamentals and how to apply them. Simple as pie.

"Yeah. How long have you been learning, kid?"

"Since the day I could read." Ed said casually.

"How old are you?"

"You should be able to guess, you know. Being a Doctor and all."

"Haha, you're right. But I just want to make sure. You could be a ten year old for all I care."

"Do I look like ten to you?" He stopped himself. "I'm sixte- five!"_ Ed! You are five years old!_

"FIVE!?" Havoc exclaimed, unbelieving. That earned a few stares from the people around them.

Edward laughed heartily. _If only you knew._

"You don't believe me, do you?" Edward gave him a second to regain his composure.

"Y-you're serious?"

"I don't joke." Edward said seriously. Breaking the tense atmosphere by gobbling his lettuce, then munching on his carrots.

"You… you…"Havoc didn't seem to be able to make up his mind. "Come with me." He dragged Edward by the collar.

Edward glared. "You! I haven't finished my food yet!" Ed shouted angrily.

"Finish it later!" Havoc said with a smile.

"If I don't finish it, you're going to treat me to a restaurant of my choice!"

"Fine! Just come with me, brat." Havoc said, unaware of the danger that was coming to his precious wallet.

==0==0==0==

"So… What am I supposed to do again?" Edward asked uncertainly. Glancing at the papers in front of him. The was a single sheet on top of a folder. The sheet had circles aligned in four a row. With the first four English Letters labeling each. It was obviously a test answer sheet and questionnaire.

"Answer these test questions." Havoc commanded. Ed sighed. If he was still back in Amestris, he could pull rank to avoid this… Sadly, he wasn't a Colonel here…

"Alright. No time limit?" He caved.

"Just make sure you finish it." Ed blinked. Of _course _he would.

He browsed through the folders and found that it contained at least 200 questions. He opened it to the first page and started shading. Havoc was watching him intently. He finished in about an hour and Havoc silently took the answer sheet with a contemplating look on his face.

He took out a paper which had holes in it. _Probably the template._

He took his time checking, and Ed was getting bored. He sighed and opened his pocketwatch, thinking about Al. He was still learning how to lipread but he could make out most words already. It would come. Al's mannerisms were familiar but it would at least take a few more months till he would become proficient in the practice. But he was patient. And thankful that he was given such a gift. He was a little annoyed that he had to spend his precious time waiting. He should've brought his Research journal! Well at least _then _he'd have something productive to do.

A shuffling of papers alerted Ed that Havoc had finished checking his work. He snickered at the disbelieving face Havoc made.

"Y-you're… serious?" Havoc muttered. "I nearly _failed_ this exam… scraping 50%... And I'm a _professor_."

"Aww… Don't worry, Havoc. I won't tell anyone…" Ed chided. It would be amusing to be a college student at five.

"Kid! You're called a genius aren't you?"He said obviously still in shock.

"They call me a prodigy, but I don't get it. My friends and brother calls me stupid all the time…" he said obliviously, snickering at the fish-eyed face Havoc had.

"I'll vouch for you." Edward paused.

"Vouch?" Ed asked confusedly "Anyway, I only want to have access to your college's library. I've finished the city library, well except for the children's books, but I still want to learn about healing techniques and pressure points and stuff…"

"Yes, yes." Havoc drew a yellow slip of paper from under his desk and signed it with a grace the other Havoc never bothered to have.

"Here, your library slip. Laminate it so it doesn't get wet. I'd hate to sign another one of those." Ed smiled widely _Finally! Library, here I come!_

"Oh, and by the way, I want to eat at L'Renioulle's for dinner." Havoc paled.

==0==0==0==

Havoc wasn't having a very wonderful day. Firstly, he got dumped by another girl. Secondly, most of his students were incompetent. Lastly, He lost a bet to Mustang. He tried to woo another girl, but he didn't have any luck. He was a Professor in the Technological Institute Majoring in Communication networks.

It took him several years to achieve status, but all his hardwork paid off! Now, he had a house to himself, a car and most importantly, a degree! But he still had a long way to go. A lot of the things he did still didn't make sense. _It would come with time._ He thought. He entered the teacher's lounge and found a kid writing on the chalkboard. He smiled. Maybe the kid thought it nice to draw. But when he looked closer, his eyes bugged out. The kid was solving a problem his co-worker had spent _days_ to understand. He watched in rapt fascination. He would love to have the kid as his student!

A few minutes into the problem, the kid paused and rechecked his work. The kid beamed and put down his chalk and eraser. The handwriting was surprisingly legible and the lines were immaculately straight. Did the kid practice this? He looked over the problem and found that _he_ had a hard time understanding the theorems and the solution. Who was that kid? He tried to remember the kid's features, but he only saw the back of his head. And remembered that the kid was blonde. _Who said blondes were dumb?_ He truly wanted to protest about that stereotyping, but resisted. It wouldn't do good to make society your enemy.

He searched the canteen for the kid and he was greeted a lot. Who knew he was so popular? His eyes darted from blonde to blonde, searching for the kid.

"Jean!" a voice called.

"Oh. Marge, hello." He said distractedly.

"Oh. You're like that now? Ignoring me?"

"Oh! Of course not! It's just… I'm looking for someone." He said, shifting his attention to his friend.

"I can probably help. But you have to do something for me first!"

"No thanks. The last time you asked me to do something, I was completely humiliated. Noo way.." Havoc raised his arms in front of his head.

"Aww… You're no fun! Anyway," a cough. "what do you say about quitting smoking? You're a professor now. You should be more concentrated on your health!"

"Maybe next time." Havoc lighted a cigarette and puffed out smoke.

"Do not smoke in the cafeteria! This is a non smoking area." Marge said, hitting the backside of Havoc's head. The cigarette fell on the floor, becoming unusable. Havoc whimpered muttering something like 'My cigarette!'

"Okaayy… I get it! Stop Hitting me!"

After an exchange of a few more pleasantries, Havoc asked Marge to help him look for the little blonde kid.

"You know, you're really blind." Marge said with a chuckle.

"What do you mean?" Havoc asked, his hands in his pocket.

"He's right behind us you know." Havoc smiled sheepishly.

"Oops… Thanks for the help." He patted Marge's

He went near the kid, leaving an exasperated Marge behind.

He liked the kid. He was witty and has a larger vocabulary than any five year old he'd encountered. He reminded him of one of his friends. He didn't know what got into him, but he dragged the kid out, promising to treat him to a restaurant. He agreed for no specific reason. Kids usually had cheap tastes, so he didn't really worry about having holes in his wallet.

He gave a questionnaire for thied year college students to the little kid, just to test how wide his reading material spread out. There were some history questions, chemistry, physics, trigonometry, and some and other miscellaneous questions that didn't mean anything. Havoc was hit by the miscellaneous questions hard. He wasn't a very wide reader, just skimming on the parts that didn't involve his profession. And it was not fun.

Edward was answering the question fast. Real fast. He was given at least three hours for the examinations and Edward finished within an _hour_. It was unbelievable. He should expect more surprising stuff later.

After checking the paper. His reaction was: What. The. Hell!? The kid answered almost everything correctly. Missing some miscellaneous questions, that revolved around music. It was a little degrading. Being beaten by a five-ear old wouldn't go well for his popularity...

And it turns out, the kid just wanted a library pass! Good grief. And now the kid wanted _him _to eat at L'Renoiulle's. The expensive French restaurant downtown. He thought the kid wouls ask McDonalds or something… Gah. Oh how he hated his life.

==0==0==0==

Edward was walking with an extra bounce in his steps. He was so happy he could finally enter the library! Hah! Take that, stupid University! He entered the library and jumped up to the librarian's counter.

"Here." He presented the laminated pass to the librarian. The librarian barely gave him a glance as she took the card and stamped a hot plate on it. The plastic had become embedded with the university logo. The librarian returned it to him and continued doing writing on whatever it was.

He stopped for a while, inhaling the scent of the library. The smell of knowledge, old books and newly printed ones. He was excited! He went near the nearest bookshelf and picked out the book on the lowest divide. He sa down on the floor and started reading.

He didn't know how much time passed, nor did he remember how many books he had read, but it was enlightening. He would finish this shelf in a week or so if his plans weren't destroyed by anyone or anything and he was satisfied.

==0==0==0==

It was already dark outside and Sacha was getting worried. Normally, Edward would be home by six and it was already nearly Seven! She paced, _What if Edward got kidnapped?_ She didn't want to admit it, but she didn't want to go outside the orphanage at night. She had one too many unpleasant experiences as a wizard. She went to the study, hoping that Edward was there, reading a newly purchased book or something. Sadly, her hopes were crushed. Ed wasn't there. She checked his room and still… She felt something tugging at the bottom of her skirt.

"Miss Sacha?" A little voice called. It was Lin. One of the 5 year olds.

"Oh, what is it dear?" Shesat down, petting Lin's head.

"Ed told me, tell you that he go in the University." She said quietly. "Library, he says."

Sacha facepalmed. Of course! Ed and hi libraries…

"Thanks for telling me." Lin nodded and scurried off to bed.

Sacha sighed. Why did she volunteer for this again?

==0==0==0==

_New chapter! Yay! How I love reviews. The internet connection at home sucks.I didn't have anything to do, so voila! _


	5. Chapter Five

**A/N As you can see, I'm getting very impatient with the story development, so I'm going to have a six-year timeskip. My internet access is limited right now and I have nothing better to do than write. And of course, I finished this more than two weeks ago, but I kinda passed the notebook I summarized the chapter for something on school, and I didn't want to change it, so I waited... I'm going to explain what happened in those six years as flashbacks and/or a short explanation. :)**

Enjoy!

==0==0==0==  
Chapter Five

Edward wasn't having a hard time in adjusting to his new life. The past few years had been fun. At eight, he became a respected chemist. At ten, he was on his way to having his own laboratory.(He got sponsored big time, even though his lab was improperly equipped, it wasn't such a big deal if you had alchemy) He had been debating whether or not he would become a teacher in college(There had been some problems with the Dean regarding his age, but with Alter!Mustang's blackma-err... persuasion, the Dean accepted). Amusingly, no one even tried to spite him because he was young_, too young_ in fact.

His first year was incredibly amusing. People kept thinking he was lost and always guided him to the gate exit. He would humor them and when they reached the exit, he would thank them. Then he shows up at the classroom. As their _professor_. It was fun to see them gawking at him.

Edward's first classes tended not to be taken seriously. Maybe because they thought that since a little kid could get it, meant that they could easily do it. What they didn't know was that Edward was a genius and a merciless slave driver. He seldom finishes a class without having each and every single one of his students understand the concepts and principles he had discussed. He doesn't let the students out of the classroom if they do not understand. He always makes sure that the details had been drilled into his pupil's brains. Edward always sent out essays, mostly having the students review and measure the information they processed in the lecture. Edward was dubbed 'The Little Terror' and he snapped at the unfortunate students who happened to be talking in the immediate area, glaring at them murderously. (He hissed "I'm. Not. _Short._" The next day, he sped up the lecture as at a pace he knew only he -and a few others- could keep up with. He openly showed how pissed off he was. Since then the students never mentioned his lack of height, and Edward was glad for it.)  
He was well known in the campus, but he barely gave his supposed fame any attention. But he found that seeing people older than him know less than he did quite amusing and frustrating. He knew he was considered a genius but seeing people so _incompetent_... Well, sure, the professors were competent, but it was rare for anyone else to excel. His head got a little bloated at that, but he hid it well, only Al would notice it. Only his inner Al kept his head from bursting. Edward could never say no to his little brother.

The meeting with the Military counterparts was sad and sentimental. Mustang was the same egotistic, elitist bastard he remembered. Mustang did not know him... and it was a little saddening. They were the same, picking on his small stature every chance he got. The moment he saw Hughes, he nearly cried. Ed didn't even remember what his voice sounded like... Hughes died way too early in the war with the Homunculus and Edward missed him. He didn't even complain when Hughes kept bragging about Gracia, his beloved Girlfriend. In fact, he even smiled, acknowledged and pushed Hughes on. They would make a good match, and Ed just wanted Elysia to exist already. Everyone looked at him as if he'd grown another head, but dismissed it as childish curiosity.

He chuckled bitterly. The emotional scars everyone sustained in Amestris was considerably heavier. It was inevitable though. These people were never sent to the Ishbal war front lines. They have never taken a life before... As for Edward though... He'd witnessed war. It was despicable. Once or twice, he didn't want to remember, he was forced to kill. He didn't know how to react to his first kill. He didn't know how to cope with it and his brain refused to function properly. He got over it when Mustang nearly literally charred him to understand that what happened, happened. Nothing could do anything about it. Sometimes the bastard wasn't such a bastard. But he was still annoying.

When he found friends in the military's doubles, he moved out of the orphanage and stayed at the college dorms. Hughes had called it a scholarship but Ed doubted that it was one. He visited Sacha once every few weeks. The orphanage had grown on him. And he was grateful.

Right now, Edward was in his laboratory, researching for the best solution for a cheap and manageable superconductor. He had the fundamental characteristics down and the base metals were already chosen. There was just a little problem about the ratio of the trace metals that would make up the superconductor. It needed to have the right malleability, and shouldn't be too soft. It was his latest project. And with no immediate goals, he just went through life to enjoy it. He knew that alchemy couldn't send him back. Truth was just a bastard like that. He tried to last a month without researching or doing anything scientific. And it seemed that he could not. He got frustrated. And it was his decision to do something that might benefit this world. His world. This was his world now. Unless some higher being decide to send him back; highly unlikely.

He had finalized the base metal when he heard a tapping by the window. _What?_ Was his first thought.

He went nearer to the sound and found an Barn owl. He decided to ignore it, but he noticed that it brought something. He opened the window and petted the owl once(to make sure it was tame). And the owl surprisingly purred. He didn't know if it was normal for owls to purr, so he didn't give it any attention. He took the letter. He skimmed it once, twice, and sighed. Useless. Magic? Witchcraft? And seriously, _Dumbledore?_ He'd at least get extra paper for research. Top quality Paper was getting harder and harder to find. And this was just... Wow. Why would anyone send this type of paper as prank materials? It was way too costly.

In the days that followed, several more letters arrived and he was getting annoyed. The stupid owl had sent twenty four letters in total and Ed wasn't stupid enough to think that this was still a prank. There was something fishy going on. He tried to reason that this was not good.(Once he thought that maybe one of his self proclaimed 'rivals' had the wits to try and throw him off rhythm by doing this. And how he was succeeding. Though Ed doubted someone would spend their money on useless pranks) A lot of wasted ink and paper. He sighed. He wanted people to be more aware of their actions. Ed decided to humor the render and replied:  
_'To whom it may concern,  
I'm sorry, but this is getting old. I mean really _really_ old. It's not that I'm not thankful for the high quality paper you so kindly supply me with, it's just... Irrational. I also demand you to stop this wasteful bombardment. You've killed more trees than I have liked.  
P.S. If you however do believe that magic really does exist, please verify it by coming yourself or by proxy, whatever suits your taste.  
Edward Elric'  
_He let out a satisfied smile. That would probably make the sender stop.

He did a double take though, how was he supposed to send a letter back? A moment later, he decided that the owl was probably trained to ferry mail. It always stayed awhile after delivering the letters, and it was creepy.

A few days later, he found himself staring dumbly at an old woman by his doorstep. _What on earth?_

"You are Mister Edward Elric correct? I am Minerva McGonagall, A professor at Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Pleased to meet you." Edward blinked. It took him awhile to regain his composure. What? This is...

"You... mean... You think magic is real? What a load of bull-"

"Language!" McGonagall was stern. She was scarily similar to teacher, and it doesn't bid him any good. He had also met Izumi's double at a nearby dojo. She taught Judo, Karate and Aikido. Edward was terrified. But at least his teacher's double wasn't as powerful and as skilled. Ed could probably beat this one in his sixteen year old body. But that didn't mean she could be taken lightly. Relearning the movements were hellish. His body wasn't acclimated to his mind yet and he sometimes did maneuvers that his younger body couldn't yet execute. But with a little extra conditioning, he didn't have to wait long to regain his strength, speed and stamina. When he turned Ten, he had reached fifth degree black already, At eleven, he reached seventh. Izumi wasn't as scary but her mere presence still scared the life out if him. Not that he would admit though... To train the mind, you must first train the body. He'd never forget that. He stopped his musings when he remembered that the 'professor' was still there. He did some estimates and he hasn't been dazed for too long. He wasn't embarrassed.

"Would you like to come in? It's a little messy..." He gestured inside and McGonagall followed.

Minerva was surprised. When she was sent to make sure a muggleborn would accept magic existed, she didn't expect a very _unchildlike_ type of living. The boy's room didn't have any toys, posters and such. The place was filled with papers, obviously notes. Notes for what, she didn't know. The bed was made perfectly. It was too Spartan.

"Any preferences for your drinks?" He started casually.

"I don't know any muggle drinks."

"Muggle?"

"Non magical beings." Ed rolled his eyes, and muttered something. 'senile' was what she could make out, and she smiled. Muggleborns usually accepted magic after some demonstrations and she wished he would too.

"Coffee then." He went toward the kitchen, heating some black liquid. Minerva took an unsuspecting piece of paper and read through it. It was gibberish to her, but it was amazingly intricate. Even if she wasn't well-versed in Muggle related studies, she could tell that it wasn't usual for an eleven year old to be able to do these. Ed came back with a tray in hand, two cups resting top of it.

"So, you believe in magic?" Straight to the point.

"Yes. And I went here to make sure that you attend Hogwarts."

"I don't believe this nonsense. Magic does not exist." he stated calmly. He was cut off by the floating of the tray. The china made some porcelainic sounds and it dropped back down to his table with a clank.

"Impossible! This... " his mind worked furiously, nothing. slammed on the table. Levitation!? What the hell. Where was the equivalence? Things don't float on their own! Strings? None. Balancing of two equally same charged substance? Nope. Rejection force of two positively or negatively charged...

"This doesn't follow equivalent exchange!" he hissed. "Impossible."

"I assure you Mr. Elric, this is in fact, quite real."

"That could be a fluke for all I care. How do I know you aren't some con artist?"

McGonagall said some words in a foreign tongue and the chair turned into a dog. It looked like Den- minus the automail.

"How dare you!" He hissed furiously. He stood up, his up in anger.

"No one gave you the right to play with lives!" The professor just raised an eyebrow.

"I assure you, Mr. Elric, the dog isn't in any pai-"

"To hell with this!"

"They can be turned back." she said, reverting the dog back in as a chair.

"How...?"

Ed breathed, trying to calm himself. Magic can't exist! If it did then... _Everything_ was... But there were no other explanations. He sighed. Giving it a chance won't hurt, right?

"Let's say I believe in this 'magic' of yours, what's in it for me?" McGonagall smiled. He was already considering the existence of magic. It would be easy from this point on. But... What could coax such a reaction from the blonde?

"You would learn how to harness your innate magic and it comes in handy." Ed snorted.

"So you're... 'wizards'," He paused... Magic. There wasn't anymore ways to go across The Gate with Alchemy... But maybe if magic exists... he might be able to get home! There was a way! He couldn't wait!

"What facilities do you have?" His eyes burned with a newfound determination. He would get home, no matter what!

"We have a Quidditch field," She hoped he would be interested. After all, most of the kids his age only thought about Quidditch. But sadly, he didn't even ask what it was! "all sorts of classrooms, a library, the dorms, the-"

"How big is your library?" he asked excitedly. How peculiar. Why an interest in the library when he could have Quidditch?

"The biggest in the state." she stated.

"Well then, enroll me or whatever. When does the term start?"

The deal was closed. He'd have to quit his teaching job though. He'd miss it. But it would be a change. He hasn't been a student since he was mentally five! At least he could relax. There wasn't any rush. He'd be normal for once.

"September. We'll go to Diagon Alley for supplies two weeks from now. Keep your day free. The supply lists are in the letters… that you kept receiving."

"The paper was nice by the way." Edward said with a slight smirk. McGonagall merely smiled.

"Well, then, it was nice meeting you."

Ed guided the teacher to the door and remembered... Sacha had a book about Hogwarts. He'd consult her when he had a chance. Right now, he had doubles to pacify his leaving.

==0==0==0==

Edward visited Sacha two days after his conversation with McGonagall. His mind was swirling with possibilities. Was Sacha a wizard? He'd have to confirm it. He didn't bother to knock, expecting Sacha to be home.

"Sacha, I've come to visit!" He called. Several little kids ran up to him.

"Edward niisan is back!"

"Edward!"

"What took you so long?" was endearing.

"Is Sacha here?"

"Miss Sacha said she would just go out to buy some coffee. Lara spilled the powder on the floor."

"It was an accident! You pushed me!" the child dubbed Lara started to storm around.

"I did not!"

"Did Too!"

"DID NOT!"

"DID TOO!"

"Now, now, would you want Sacha to have extra problems, now do you?" He scolded.

"No..." They answered simutaneously.

"Good." He patted their heads and smiled. He talked a bit with the kids and started to loosen up. A few more minutes and The door opened. Edward made aome shushing noises and sneaked up on Sacha.

"Why, nice of you to visit Miss." He whispered imitating a deeper voice. Sacha tensed and reached for something. Ed caught her hand and she looked up. Sacha breathed with relief.  
"Don't do that! You scared the wits out of me!"

"Yeah, like thats fun at all."

"Edward!" She sighed "Would you join us for dinner? The kids would be happy to be able to dine with you again."

"Nah, I just happened to be in the neighborhood and thought I ought to drop by." Ed said with a smile.

"I would probably stay here 'til five" Ed chuckled, glancing at a wall clock. Two hours. "And I have some questions later." His tone calm.

Sacha just smiled. "How about we talk while I cook? I can multitask."

"I'll help." Ed fell into pace with Sacha. Ed was still a good head shorter than Sacha. But he still hadn't hit his growth spurt so it was fine. At least he didn't have an extra body to sustain anymore.(He still hadn't found proof to that theory, but it was highly possible.) And he didn't have the extra weight from his automail to stunt his growth.

He entered the kitchen and asked:

"What are you going to cook?"

"Just stew."

"Well, I'll start filling the pot then,"

After putting on a black apron, Edward pulled the pot by the sink and started filling it up. He saw Sacha slicing up carrots and cabbages. He smiled and shifted the weight of the pot in his hands and positioned the pot on the stove. He tried to turn on the stove, and found that it had no gas anymore. He glanced at Sacha. She was still busy. Ed disconnected the gas tank from the stove and dragged it with him to the outside. Hearing the sounds of movement, Sacha looked at him.  
"What are you going to do?" She wiped her hand on her apron.

"I'll just refill this thing. It won't take long." He tapped the empty metal container. Then exited the kitchen through the back door.

He sat there, and analyzed the components of the cooking gasoline. He took some herbs and stuff to make it more efficient too. He clapped his hands and touched the assortment of objects. A flash of blue light, engulfed the container. Ed stood up, satisfied, and he heaved the thing up with a little effort. He went back inside, reconnecting the tube, just as Sacha was adding the vegetables to the pot.

"Where did you get that from?" Sacha asked curiously.

"S'a secret. It won't be a secret if I tell you." Ed smiled cheekily.

After setting the heat to mediim, she picked up a ladle and started stirring.

"You had some questions?"

"Yeah. McGonagall visited." She froze. And then smiled brightly.

"You're a wizard!" she said excitedly.

"That answers that." He said in an amused tone  
"When are you going to Diagon Alley?" Sacha asked rather excitedly. She hadn't bee there for ages!

"Next Friday." Sacha sighed dejectedly.

"I won't be able to come..."

"It's not like I was inviting you anyway."

"Hey! That's mean!"

"Anyway, do you have any informative books about that place? Bonktarts was it?"

"Hogwarts!" she corrected a little indignantly.

"Yeah, yeah. Mustards." Sacha just rolled her eyes.

==0==0==0==

"Yo, pipsqueak." a familiar figure was leaning on the door to his dormroom. It was still awkward to see him not wearing I military uniform.

"Shut up, Mustang." He recoiled instinctively.

"So... You're going to a school school abroad?"

"... Something like that." Mustang's smile became dangerous.

"Do you know how much I money I invested just to let you teach?"

"Approximately £500." Edward said, a matter of factly. Ed fished out his keys and slotted one to the doorknob. The door opened to reveal a very messily neat room.

"Sometimes I wonder how the hell you manage knowing a lot of things and still don't get head splitting headaches."

"I've been through worse."

"Of course you have." he said pleasantly sarcastic.

"Oh, have you ever tried politics and/or the military? That would fit you more than being a professor."

"I have enough ability and experience to top most of them, and I'm not satisfied with the workings of the government, I have plans, but no initiative." Mustang smiled, gracefully sitting down on Ed's couch.

"Colonel... I remember you called me that the first time. Why would you though?"

"Haha... Sorry... You just remind me of someone." Ed smiled sheepishly.

"From the military." Mustang deadpanned.

"Yep." Ed smiled. Ed weighed down his options. It would be nice to have a confidante to his secrets. Mustang had been tight lipped about secrets. Like when Hughes... Died... Or... He breathed. It would be nice to have an anchor. But he decided it could wait.

"Anyway, I'll be 'shopping' for school stuff later this week..."

"The Oh so Great Edward Elric? Going shopping? Apocalypse!"

"Shut up Mustang."

"Any progress?" He asked. Shuffling several papers on his work desk. Probably the superconductor.

"Oh, I'm just adding the finishing touches. The trace metals are already near perfect ratio. I'd add more, but it's going to get too stiff and hard to manipulate."

"Wouldn't it be better to not make it too… what's the term? Ah, '_conducting'_?"

"No, the output would be reduced by 2.32%. If I play my cards right, it would end up having more than 3% more than usual. Wat… if I add more carbon here, then maybe the Aluminum would…" The ravenette stared at him amusedly. Ed pulled out a paper and started constructing several equations. Mumblig about bonds and insulations.

"AHA! There! Finally! You're a genius!" He was grinning widely.

"I don't get why _I_ am the genius, I hardly did anything."

"I wasn't talking to you!" Ed snapped. "But I've got it. Just need to put it formally… Then present it to the college, then… Coouldn't you just say you were the one who… 'invented' this? It'd save me the trouble."

"Hah, I wouldn't take the credit even if it made me famous. Though I've been wondering… How did someone as little as you finish something people all around had been trying to find?"

"LITTLE?! I AM NOT SHORT!"

==0==0==0==

_And that's a wrap! Next chapter is Shopping in Diagon Alley, maybe meeting some others..._

_Oh and like what I said above, I've finished this more than two weeks prior to the posting. I'm just lazy. Very much so. I've also started to write the next chapter so it'll hopefully come up soon._

_I kinda went around my word at the first chapters here… hehe… said I won't make Ed be too indignant about his height… BUT I COULDN'T HELP IT! The characters write themselves, you know? Bah._

_Reviews and comments are greatly appreciated_


	6. Chapter Six

**A/N: Another Chapter! I'm finally starting The Hogwarts stuff. I haven't watched a single HP movie, nor have I finished any books. I'm relying solely on just the things I've read on other Xovers, so please feel free to point out what's wrong and what doesn't make any sense. I don't have my facts straight. Also, feel free to make suggestions. And if you have any reservations about how I write, I'm sorry, but it is likely changing, I'm not sure if that's good or bad. And some if the things that might have happened (in the story), didn't or isn't going to happen(because of lack of information), please tell me. So this is effectively AU. Also, since my first language isn't English, there might be some misuses of adjectives and maybe some spelling errors, so please be patient with me. I'm more than a little partial to researching for this fic since I only write this for fun and to shoo away boredom.**

**A/N 2: I noticed that I have been neglecting my fic in place of my own reading agendas, so I think It's about time I updated... Hehe... I ain't busy by any stretch of your imagination, but I think the largest contributing factor is my laziness...**

**And to answer someone's question,  
# Yes. I forgot about Harry. XD**

**Enjoy!**

==0==0==0==

CHAPTER 6

Edward didn't know what to expect. He knew 'magic' existed. But it still didn't change the fact that they don't follow any rules! He sighed. The universe should have already collapsed by excessive use of those sticks! He sighed. This was going to take a lot of getting used to. He'd need to make sure his brain wouldn't fry with the amount of Universal Rules twisting. He sighed. Thus just wasn't that easy on his sanity. He sighed again... He'd been sighing waay too often for his liking.

Edward massaged his temples, this day was just too stressful! This morning had been the worst! A slimy black guy, weirdly similar to Mustang (obviously not the Colonel's counterpart since he had met him before) without the greasiness. Saying his name was Propeller Sufferous Snake... or something and also that he'll escort his 'responsibility' to shopping. He was told to touch a _worn sock_. He was incredulous at first, but put it in: 'Weird-things-needed-to-be-explained' list since plenty if things that didn't make sense kept on happening. He complied, and then in a moment they were there, the next... his stomach was twisting in a heavy knot and appeared somewhere unfamiliar. A noisy street with people to be specific. A lot of them. The noises were pounding on his disoriented brain, so he focused on breathing. He was given little time to get rid of his nausea and it annoyed him to no ends. It was apparently called 'Diagon Alley', filled with different colored robes of different people. He would've fitted in like a shoe had he worn his signature red cloak.

They went to the bank, Gringotts, first. He had noticed little fellas with weird anatomy configuration and felt the anger in his chest rise. Were they crazy?

"What are you thinking!? _Chimeras_!?" He hissed.

"No, Mister Elric, they're _goblins._ Have you or have you not studied magical creatures before? Chimeras are a third eagle a third lion and a third-" The Snake-ish man replied calmly, getting cut off.

"What the hell? Goblins? You've got some explaining to do."

The only thing he explained was that they were 'magical' and would learn about it in school. He grunted in annoyance.

The blonde was given a velvet money pouch that was relatively large. According to its composition, weight and density, it weighed more than the average coins, but he could carry it without much of a problem; though when the blonde had lifted the bag, the alchemist was surprised to find that it was lighter than expected. Had he miscalculated on the weight? But he was sure this certain type gold should be... He sent a glance at the black-haired man and saw that he had fingered his glorified twig; he shrugged it off figuring that the stick had something to do with it.

After a few narrowed glances to the creatures, they left the bank and hey headed to the bookstore, Flourish & Blotts, purchasing the needed curricular books. But Ed had other ideas. He had taken a LOT of other books, some things that might help and some for research. When he had taken all of the books he wanted, the cashier had looked at him oddly as he purchased the books. The greasy haired man sent him an oddly curious look. He just replied with a questioning glance.

"That's too many books, Elric." He had said disapprovingly but obviously amused.

Edward had just huffed, but complied.

When they neared the counter, he spotted a book with a Xerxian title, reading 'Potions'. _Xerxes. _The origin of Alchemy. Thoroughly interested, he took it and browsed. It really was in Xerxian... and it described the general layout of Central, Drachma... wait... Central? _Drachma?_ He reskimmed it and found that it was a coded formula. He snuck it in his purchases, he'd decode that later.

When Sufferous had told him to find a pet, the dimension hopper had been hesitant, but had settled with a red chick that seemed too small ("Small!?") for it's kind. His 'escort' had told him -rather curiously- it was a 'Finnick's' but had too little information to care. It was unusual judging from the man's reaction. The crimson bird was rather tame, in complete opposite to its owner. It had taken a liking to the golden eyed alchemist, it had been

Having his clothes outfitted was a different story, he had outright refused to wear anything resembling a uniform. The military back home(There he became a little broody) had allowed him(grudgingly) that he didn't have to wear the uniform. After a few minutes of a rather loud shouting match between the tailor and Ed - it was one sided really and the tailor was winning- Ed had complied, reasoning to himself that he could 'improve' it with his alchemy.

Getting a 'wand' was little bit more troublesome since the alchemist was still foreign to the concept of magic. They had gone to a place called Ollivander's, but Edward was too enthralled by the supernatural that he just didn't care. His supposed escort had chosen to wait outside the shop, saying that the shopkeeper had preferred it when the customer/s went inside alone. The old man in the shop was creepy as hell, but hey, he dealt with too many lunatics to let it get to him. The ma- Ollivander -as he had introduced himself- had asked for his dominant hand which was apparently both, for having an automail had honed both of his hands in dominancy, but settled for his right. He had no idea of how many wands he tried. One had made a coat rack burst into flames, another had made all the windows in his immediate area shatter. Edward apologized profusely, but the wandmaker shrugged it offhandedly, saying it was fine. In fact the crazy old man looked like he was enjoying it! Oh how right he was. After who knows how long, the wandmaker went to the back of his shop saying he had something. The shopkeeper had reemerged from the back area with a furnished black box that had gold trimmings on it. Edward sighed in relief when a few sparks if gold had erupted from its tips.

"Twelve inches, Phoenix feather, and the wood from the mythical Tree of Eve. It is said that this wand prophesizes the chosen one, but who knows... To have a wand such as this to choose you, you must have a kind and pure heart."

The blonde rolled his eyes. Pure? Kind? Him? Oh the irony.

"I have had this for several decades, but it has only now had found its owner. I was afraid that such a wand wouldn't be useable. But now my fears are unfounded."

The Alchemist exited the store feeling a little lightheaded. Having to shift from dark places to insanely lit ones were always nauseating. They had gone to the Leaky Cauldron for rest. The Professor had told him that he would go to a place called 9 3/4 Platform on King's Cross Station in two weeks time.

Tiredly, he rubbed his eyes. Dropping to a bed, he just hoped didn't have any nightmares.

True to his wishes, he had a fulfilling dreamless sleep.

The next morning was rather bleak. He had eaten a rather healthy breakfast(he refused to eat junkfood) , but that was it. He started to read the textbooks he had bought. In the book "Hogwarts: a History"(dubbed 'Thick Book'), The alias 'You-Know-Who' came out a few times, every time, he had to refrain to roll his eyes, really, was their government so terrified of a single person just because he could kill with two words? And to not even mention the _name?_ Ridiculous, but apparently, the 'Wizarding Community' didn't think so. The system of this part of the society was awfully crooked. Why weren't the completely obviously corrupt people been overthrown if... _Ugh._ He groaned. _I've spent too much time around Mustang. _

The Charms book was useless save for some list of spells and their effects. It only contained the 'hows' and 'whats' and not the 'whys'. No logical theories and helpful historical constructive reasons.

Herbology was slightly overwhelming, discussing about plants that he never knew existed and with the most ridiculous names. Potions had his interest peaked more than any other subject, it was very similar to alchemy in its precision. It needed little to none use of the glorified twigs and he was grateful. There were plenty more subjects but his interest had waned totally by the time he read about telling the future and such gibberish, a load of crock. That was impossible. Nothing is set in stone. You could always run and redirect it no matter. It was nigh improbable, bordering impossible. He closed the books, sighing in boredom, and piled them up in the trunk that was given to him, sealing it shut with alchemy. He gazed outside seeing the sun had already set, he collapsed onto the bed, letting sleep take over him.

Two weeks later, he found himself in front of a rather... Blank space. 9 3/4? Does that even exist? Well, yeah, according to the Thick History Book it did. He waited for other people to come so as to not make a fool of himself. He checked his pocketwatch. It was still early into the morning. He spotted a familiar tuft of black hair and he sauntered to it's owner.

"Harry!" Ed called, rather reservedly. After reading the Thick History Book, he had found the name Harry Potter more than a few times and, after a few minutes of data compressing, he had discovered that the Harry he had met and befriended had been the same person. Speaking of friendships, Harry had looked up to Ed when he was 'saved' from the bullies. They had also discovered that they went to the same grade-school but that didn't last long since Ed was technically just going there for credit. They- Ed at least- had kept in contact through letters and such. But once he had abruptly stopped receiving letters from the emerald eyed boy, he had become suspicious. It turned out that his Aunt had been withholding the letters. Highly irritated, he had stormed into the unsuspecting house and threatened to report them to the police for child abuse and ran away screaming 'abusive adopted families' over and over again while being chased-but utterly failing. That had to be one of the most fun things he had done as a kid. Pleased to say, Harry had nearly died of laughter. But sadly, it wasn't taken to court. It was _him_ who was reprimanded. And he just tuned out the scolding he got from the police.

"Ed!" The boy in brightened considerably.

"So, The-Boy-Who-Lived eh?" Edward teased.

"Don't even start..." Harry groaned.

"Sorry, sorry. Just couldn't help it." Ed grinned unrepentantly.

"So does this mean you're a wizard too?" Harry asked excitedly.

The blonde gave him a deadpanned look saying 'What do you think?'

Harry flushed. "Oi!"

The blonde laughed.

They continued on with their small talk. Harry seemed relaxed and comfortable around the blonde's company then they spotted a family of redheads huddling forwards the platform.

Surprisingly one just walked through it. They both gaped. What!?

They sauntered near and exchanged pleasantries. When Harry introduced himself, he gained a bit of awed looks, then squirmed. Amusingly, Ed didn't do anything and just took amusement to his squirming friend. The eldest redhead - Molly or something told then that the wall connected them the Station itself. Ed and Harry looked incredulous at the aspect, but eventually gave in.

"Running your first time might help." The homey woman said.

Ed had no qualms about doing it, seeing as the Thick Book had told him all about things he needed to know about the school he was going to. Of course, it was obvious that Harry didn't even bother reading it at all. He was never the book nerd-slash-genius Edward was.

He walked through the wall, feeling little shivers and tingles through his body as he passed. The next moment he was aware, he was greeted by a grand, bustling train station. Compared to Central's trains, it was plenty majestic. There had been a little commotion that started with a blonde that had been particularly nasty. Something Muffles was his name. The bully had two lackeys. They weren't particularly intimidating since he had practice with Sid (Izumi's husband) who in turn was less intimidating than their Teacher, Izumi herself. Needless to say when the condescending brat started spouting about how 'high up' his father was, Ed stopped hearing his little brother's voice in his head that said not to pummel the guy to the ground and nearly did so had Harry not restrained him(it was a rather feeble attempt but it was the thought that counts).

A rolling table had been brought in and there was this candy called 'All Flavor beans'. Ed took one, spit it out and gagged.

"What'd you get mate? Booger? Vomit?" Ron asked slyly.

"Worse!" Ed took a bottle of water and chugged it down. "Milk." He said with disdain.

"What's wrong with milk?" A brown haired girl asked.

"Are you kidding me? Milk comes from a cow! And Cows are _evil_!"

And apart from an incident that Ron gained a broken nose from a comment on a certain blonde's height, the rest of the ride was fairly peaceful. And most of the people in that certain compartment had learned not to even mention the blonde's stature near him. Or ever for that matter. The midget seemed to know if he was being called short. ("Stupid narrator" he grumbled.)

It gave him an opportunity to live a life as a kid again. With friends his apparent age- not the real one since he was about 21 already.

The train was near when a bushy haired girl had told them to wear the robes. Ed ignored her. He was scared of women, sure, after all the only women(except his mom) he actually was in contact often were scary as hell. Hawkeye wouldn't hesitate to shoot him. Winry would hit him with her oh-so-trustworthy wrench(he really regretted buying her that mech set). Izumi... Ed shuddered. Best not to think of that. Maybe Gracia wasn't, but he didn't want to take any chances. After all, protective moms were the worst kind of women to go against.

Really, this was going to be one of the most interesting thing that happened since Father tried to make himself the perfect being yadda yadda. And he'd relish every moment. But who's not to say that he won't go back? He_ would_… eventually.

_Damn._ He got attached.

==0==0==

_Fairly short, and not much dialogues. Anyway, reviews anyone?_


End file.
